Pneumatic tire.



` PATENTED JAN.29.11207Y v. H.IMGD0WELL.

PNEUMATIG TIRE. l APPIwATloN HLBD DB0. 4. 1905.

a SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED JAN. Z9, 1907. V. H. MUDOWELL.

n PINEUMATIC TIRE.

APPLIGATION FILED' pso. 4, 1905.

` s sHEBTs-sHBBT 2.

PATENTBD JAN. 29, 1907;

V. H. MGDOWELL. PNEUMATIG TIRE. APPLICATION FILED 1320.4. 1905.

-sHBET s.

. O V1 w/v: V w e W M u O ff W Q 4% 3 j narran STATES PATENT orEroE.

tra 842,231. Y

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 29, 1907.

itiimion ne@ December 4,1905. sain No. 290,060.

,I To a/ZZ whom t may concern:

i `tion of one of the struction.

. DoWELL, ofcLynn,

`In the drawings,

Be it known that LYALENTINE H. Mc-

in the coiinty of Essex 'and yState of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in VehicleWheels and Tires Therefor, of Which'the following-is 'a speciication.v

This mventlon relates to 'vehicl-Wheels, chieiiy for heavymotor-vehicles, having tires which are capable oi'a limitedbodily f Wise movement relatively. to the Whe that the tire el, sof can `yield asa Whole, its lower portion bearing on thev ground andbeing free` to move toward the adjacent portion of they Wheel rim or'felly, is at the Sametime extent away from the eorresponjding portion of the Wheel-rim. i

rlhe invention has for its` object to provide a sim le and durable Wheel .of the character descri ed, the improvements being embodied both` in the structure of' the rigid portion of lthe Wheel-rim and in thestructure jofthe flexible edgewisefmovable tire.

The invention consists in the'improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a partial side elevation-and partial sectional view of -a vehicle-Wheel embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a pers )ective view of a portion of the tire detac ed. Fig. 3 representsa perspective view of a porclencherplates forming a part of the Wheel structure. Fig. 4 represents a transverse section through the upperportion of the Wheel, showing-the air-tube and tire uncompressed. 'Figi 5 represents a transverse section through the bottom portion of the Wheel, showing the airtube and tire under compression, the latter being moved inwardly toward the 4wheel-rim. Fig.

6 represents a partial side elevation and pare i tial sectional view showing a portion of a Wheel embodying my invention and including a modifi ed construction ot the tire. Fig. 7 represents a section on line 7 7 oi Fig.. 6.

lThe same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the iigures.

i 12 represents the felly 13 the hub, andlli the spokes, of a vehiclewheel, these parts being of any suitable con- The telly 12 andi tithe rigid clencher-plates 15, d etachably'secured to the telly by bolts 16, are hereinafter denominated the riIrL The said rim is proyided by the beveled inner edges of ace -of the while `the upper portion l freeto move to a limitedlwith a peripheralfseat for an air-tube 17, the

said seat being here shown as formed in art d tlie'clenc erlates 15 and by aportion of the outer surfelly 12 -betweenf the clencherplates. Y I

. Preferably filling# ieces of vvoodor other .light material; are p aced upon the outer surfaces of. the clencher.-plates, these lling- .pieces khaving beveled f edges constituting contin'uati-onsof theair-tube seatand annue lanface'spr'seats 19 atopposite sides of the airetube, said seats being formed to support the tire, hereinai'terdesoribed, in the event of deflation. oftl1eair`tube 17. The clencherplates; 15 are provided at their outer edges 'with inwardlyeprojeeting rigid langes 20,

which ovenhangthe edgeportions of the Wheel-rim.

- 21 represents the tire, which is composed vulcanized rubber, and is adapted to move bodily edgewise between the seats 19 and the Lrigid flanges 2O ofthe wheel-rim, the sai d tire having utwardl -projectine flanges 22, rojecting bnder theY rigid iiangtes 20tand adpe ed to playjbetween the last-named flanges and the seats 19, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5.

The side portions ,of the '.tire adjacent to the flanges 22 are in rubbing contact with the inner edges ofthe rim-flanges 20. To prevent injurious Wear of these portions ot the tire,'I provide them With Wear-resisting facings 23, which are or may be plates of relatively hard rubber vulcanized into the body portion of the tire." pieces 22B-are independent of each other and are separated from each other by intermediate portions of the resilient bod of the tire, so that they do not interfere With the ilexi-4 bility of the tire, the latter being continuous. The material 'of the facingpieces, While harder than that of the body of the tire, should not be so rigid as to cause the edges of the pieces to cut or crush the portions of the tire-body that bear on them.

The tire is preferably provided With later.- al1y-proj ecting shoulders 24, Which overhang the rigid flanges 20 of the rim and are so formed as to abut against said iianges when the iianges 22 of the tire abut against the sides 19 of the rim; This Will occur only in the event ol deflation of the air-tube, the simultaneous bearing of the. tire-shoulders 24 on the rigid flanges and ofthe tire-flanges 22 7sv `Whollyor mainly 'of-elastic material, such as IOC on the rigid seats providing for a secure and l firm support of the tire, so that it will be operative even though the air-'tube be deflated. To prevent the tire from-creeping on the Wheel-rim, I provide the tire-flanges 22 with .tenons or projections 25, adapted .to enter and engagerecesses or mortises 26, formed in the olencher-,plates 15,

vThe tire 21 is preferably composed of a main body .portion on which the tread-surface of the tire is formed, said body portion being of rubber vulcanized to a suitable hardness to give the tread the usual o1 suitable Wearing qualities. The said body portion may be formed to surround a core 27, of softerrubber. The said core is preferably provided Witha series of air-chambers 28, which may be ofthe angular form represented in Figs. 2 and 4 These chambers are hermetically closed and confine bodies of air 1 which absorb a considerable part of the heat which would otherwise be transmitted by friction through the tire to the air-tube, the liability of -injury to the air-tube by heat transmitted through the tire being thus reduced. The soft-rubber core with its airchambers increases the yielding quality of the tire. I prefer to strengthen and reinforce the body portion of the tiro by means of layers of frictioned textile fabric 29 said layers extendingr into the flanges 22 and strengthening and reinforcing the latter. i

The air-tube 17 is composed of rubber reinforced by textile fabric, as -usual in 'airtubes for automobile-tires, and is practically inextensible b T air-pressure. `That is'to say, it is free'from liability to bestretched by air introduced under .pressure into its interior. The Wheel'rim and tire are provided with grooves which receive the inner and outer portions' of the air-tube, the sides of said grooves'being flared or inclined, 'so that they are tangential to" the periphery of the airtube When'the latter is in its normal position, as shown iii-Fig. 4, the inclination of the sides of the grooves being such that When the tire is fo'rced inwardly' the portions `of the airtube Whichare bulged outwardly by the infward movement of the tire are contained in the spaces provided by the inclined sides of the grooves and do not project bet-Ween the contacting portions of thevwheel rim and tire. Hence Athere is no liability of injurious crush- ,ing or biting pressure of the tire and rim upon the air-tube.

In'Figs. 7 and 8 I show, instead of the core 27 of soft rubber, Iillingpieces 30, which may be of leather or other suitable material embedded in the body portion of the tire. These filling-pieces may be used when a tire of greater hardness is required than would be furnished by the-construction shown in Figs. 1x 2, and 4.

It will be seen by reference to Figs. 4 and 5 that the opposed faces of the rim and tire are formed to permit the scat ing of the llangcs 22 of the tire on the faces lll of the rim without bringing` the said opposed luces into biting engagement with the side portions ol' the airtube, which are displaced by the inward movement of' the tire. ln other words, the displaced side portions of the air-tube cannot be crushed or bitten between the meeting port-ions of the tire and rim. rlhis result is due to the widening ol' the outer portions or mouths of the grooves formed in the. rim and tire for the reception of the air-tube. air-chamber 2S is composed of two oppositelyinclined branches, which meet at the central portion of the tire in relatively close proximity to the median line of the tread and diverge from said. meeting-point toward the edges of 'the tire. This formation of the airchambers results in a gres 1er resilience along the median line of the tire-tread than at the side portions of the tread, owing to the closer proximity of the air-chambers to the median line than to the side portions. The tire therefore has a line of maximum resilience extending' along its median line, the resiliencebeing due to the compressibility of the material betweenthe angular central portions of the air-chambers and the'mcdi.m line ofthe tread;v This compression causes. the closing of the angular portions of the air-cells, after 9 which thc portions of the tire-body forming the inner walls of the-air-cells supports the portions forming the outer walls, so that the compressing pressure is gradually transferred from the portions of the tire outside the airchambers to the portions inside, there being no tendency of the pressure` to laterally displace the tire in either direction from the median lin'e.

Having thus explained my invention and described a way of constructing and using the same, although without having aty tempted to set forth all the forms in which it may be embodied o1' all the modes of its use, I claim-' l. A vehicle-wheel comprising a rigid rim having a groove forn'iing a peripheral airtube seat, lateral tire-seats at opposite sides of the tube-seat, and inwardly-projeoting rigid flanges overhanging the said lateral seats, a practically inextensible air-tube supported by the tube-seat, and adapted -to bulge laterally therefrom toward the tireseats, and an elastic tire yieldingly supported by the air-tube, and having a groove in its inner side adapted to receive the outer portion of the air-tube, and outwardly-.projecting flanges adapted to play bet-Ween the flanges and the lateral seats of the rim, and to abut against said seats, the sides of the grooves vof the rim and tire being flared or in` clined to form spaces which prevent the latorally-bulging portions of the tubo from being crushed between the contacting portions of the tire-seats and langes.

IOO

IIO

2. A vehicle-wheel comprising a rigid rim having a peripheral air-tube seat, lateral tireseats at opposite, sides of the tube-seat, and inwardlyeprojecting rigid flanges -overhangl' ing the .tire-seats, anair-tube supported 'by f the tube-seat, and an elastic-tire yielding-ly supported bythe air-tube and `having lateral outwardly-projecting shoulders overhang'ing.

and annular clencherfplates bearing on 'the' folly at opposite 'sides of the seatg'said plates khaving inwardly -projecting rigid llanges,

means for detachably securing the said plates to the folly, an air-tube supported-by the tube-seat and adapted .to expand laterally between the clencher-plates, and an elastic l tire yieldingly supported by the air-tube and having outwardly-projecting flanges adapted to play within the flanges of the clencher- Y plates, the saidtire-being free from clamping engagement with the rim.' p Y 4. A vehicle-wheel having a rigid rim comprising a felly having an airtube seat and annular 4clencher-plates at opposite `sides of the seat, said plates having inwardly-projecting rigid flanges, an air-tube supportedby the tubefseat, and an elastic tire yieldv ingly supported by the air-tubeand having outwardlyeprojecting shol'lldersoverhanging the clencher-plate flanges and outwardly-pro- 'jecting anges adapted to play'within the clencher-plate flanges, said vtire-flanges andv the clencher-plates having interlocking meinbers toy prevent the tire from creeping.v

5. A continuous yieldingly-support=.:d elastic tire having o'utwardlyeprojecting langes provided with outwardly-projecting `tenons adapted to engage mortises in a Wheel-rim, and outwardl -projecting shoulders overhanging said anges, the said shoulders 'and iiangesbeingsepa'rated by spaces adapted to receive clenchers at opposite edges of the tire, the width ofsaid spaces exceeding the thicknessl of. the .clenchers, whereby inward and outward play of 'the tire, independently of the clenchers, is permitte 6.--A c'ontinuous elastic tire having outvw'ardly-projecting.clencherengaging flanges'J and wear resistingv facing pieces l. between said-flanges and-the tread-portionofthitire,

said facing-pieces .beingjseparated from' each' other .by intermediate portionyof the elastic body of the tire, and composedofa material ywhich is -reefroni liability tocrsh thefbody portions of thetirebearing on the edges of the'said facingepieces.' i

7. A` continuous elastic lti1"e`;having outwardly-.projecting flanges', outward] '-pro 'Y jecting` shoulders overhang' ...saidp anges: and separated therefrom Aing-piecesAv at the bottoms.-ofjvfsaidgrooves, said facin'gs being separated;- fromeachother by intermediate vportions o th ofthe tire.l f 'Y l.

8. An 'elastic `tire Lhavig e Velastiebody richer-receive closed cells or chambers containing heat.

absorbing bodies of air, each chatnberhav'ing' two oppositely-inclined branches whih moet.' 5f

atthe central portion of the tire in 'relatively-I tread, 'and diverge from said meeting-'point toward the edges of the tire.

signature in presence of two witnesses.

p `VALENTINE H. MCDOWELL.

Witnesses: y

CHARLES F. BROWNl E. BATGHELDER,

In testimony whereof I havelaflixed myiSvo l 

